The present invention relates to packaging and applicator devices for applying a cosmetic composition to human keratinous fibers, and more particularly but not exclusively to the eyelashes or the eyebrows.
Numerous mascara applicators comprise a container provided with a wiper member fitted in the collar of the container, and an applicator having an applicator member such as a brush located at one end of a stem having its other end secured to a handle member that also constitutes a closure cap for the container.
The wiper member comprises a lip defining a wiper orifice of diameter that corresponds substantially to the diameter of the stem, so as to ensure that there is no excess composition on the stem once it has been extracted from the container.
The container is made with an inside volume that is suitable for multiple applications of composition, and the free ends of the bristles of the applicator member are situated at a relatively large distance from the inside surface of the container.
In use, a chimney forms in the composition because of the movement of the applicator member, and under certain circumstances this can lead to the container being emptied by a percentage that is not satisfactory, e.g. less than or equal to 60%, with some of the composition remaining unused because it is stuck to the inside surface of the side wall of the container. Furthermore, composition may be taken up in a manner that is non-uniform or that is even insufficient because of the chimney that is formed.
In addition, the composition is stirred relatively little inside the container each time the applicator is withdrawn and returned, so its characteristics may deteriorate.
In order to make the composition more uniform again, it is known to place a piston inside the container, which piston is moved by the stem carrying the applicator member whenever the applicator is removed or returned. The piston makes the container more complicated to fabricate and leads to the applicator member being wiped in a manner that is relatively difficult to control, and that can be detrimental to consistent performance of the applicator. The piston may also reduce the space available for containing the composition and may be incapable of making the composition uniform all the way to the bottom of the container. In addition, the piston may make manipulation more complicated and uncomfortable by creating a jolt when the brush separates from the piston. The piston may also lead to duplicate wiping which may make it impossible to use brushes in a sufficient variety of shapes required for good application of makeup.
The piston may also retain composition, particularly if the piston is perforated.
In order to stir the composition contained in the container better, U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,744 teaches making the side wall of the container with indentations so as to produce ridges on its inside surface that come into contact with the applicator member when it is inserted in and withdrawn from the container. The applicator member remains well spaced apart from the inside wall of the container except in the vicinity of the ridges. The drawback of such a device is that it makes producing the container more complicated, and the setbacks give the container a shape that departs from the conventional appearance of the most usual devices and may lead to the consumer thinking that the container contains less composition.
Another solution for reducing loss of composition consists in giving the core of the brush a shape that is not rectilinear, so as to cause the brush to contact the inside surface of the side wall of the container, as proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,508,603. That solution presents the drawback of complicating fabrication of the brush and of making it more difficult to apply makeup for a user who is used to conventional applicators. In one example, the outside diameter of the container is 0.45 inches (″) and the diameter of the brush is 0.25″, giving a difference of 0.2″ (i.e. 5 millimeters (mm)).
Application US 2005/0232681 teaches making the container that contains the composition with at least one movable partition that serves, when moved, to force the composition to flow between two internal chambers, the applicator member being suitable for placing on the path followed by the composition between the two chambers.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,912 teaches making the container with a flexible portion enabling the user to set up movement of the composition towards the brush by pressing on the flexible portion. Such a solution makes the container more complicated to fabricate when the flexible portion is restricted to a fraction only of the container. When the entire container is flexible, then a consumer who is used to rigid containers may have the impression that the device is of poorer quality.
Furthermore, in conventional devices, the volume of composition close to the bottom of the container is generally difficult to take. U.S. Pat. No. 6,572,296 discloses a container in which the bottom matches the shape of the applicator, at least in part.
Finally, mascara sample devices are known that comprise a container of volume that is practically equal to the volume of the brush they receive. U.S. Pat. No. 4,982,838, EP 1 690 466, and US 2001/0052348 disclose such sample devices. The drawback of those sample devices is their small content, and the short length of the stem on which the brush is mounted.